20120623

On Friday, my class and I went on another field trip. We went to the Samurai exhibition at Pointe-a-Calliere, Montreal's history and archaeology museum. The exhibition was small, but filled with interesting pieces. They had everything from armors, to blades, katana swords and various accessories. But very unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. So, I ended up only snapping only a few shots at the entrance with my classmates.

Despite the small size of the exhibition (the entire collection was displayed in one room), we still had a guide who walked us around the items and explained the origins of samurais. I was never really familiar with the samurai culture, so it was great to have him around.

20120621

As usual, when an exam approaches I find all sorts of things to do instead of actually studying. Most of the time, I just browse the web. Tonight, the Internet brought my to Colette's website where I discovered Aimée.Aimer's 18K yellow gold rings with various precious stone options.The jewelry line is to die for with all the feminine touches like bows and pearls. If I had money to spend at this very moment, I'd definitely would be buy those gorgeous rings. Another obsession of mine right now is Celine. I've always been the flashy girl who likes to stand out and who refuses to blend into the crowd. But I've come to appreciate the simplicity, minimalism and the uber high chic factor the fashion house offers. Maybe it's because I am starting to get old... But honestly, everything Celine just comes together so beautifully to the point that no one can screw up an outfit.

20120619

Despite my material intensive Japanese class, I still spend much of my time hanging out with my friends - or wasting my time doing randoms things- when I probably should be busy studying Japanese grammar. But with the nice weather (especially lately with the hot temperatures), it's really hard to stay in when you can be in the sun, getting that much needed vitamin D. My point being, life is too short to be sitting at a desk all day/night long. Which is why I met up with my best friends my high school recently and we caught up over sangria and gelato at one of my favorite summer spots, La Fontana in Dix30. The three of us used to be inseparable in high school, but unfortunately we all went our separate ways upon graduation. However, we still make sure we meet up when we can to see what's everyone up too and reminisce about the five years we spent together. It's cool and strange in some way, to see how far I've come and how much my life changed over the years.

Helene, myself & Julien

Fun fact:
Julien & I dated in secondary 3 and in sec. 5 and yes we remained friends!

20120618

A few weeks back, as part of my Japanese summer course, we spent a lovely afternoon at the Montreal Botanical Garden walking around the Japanese Garden followed by a spontaneous stop at the Chinese Garden.

At the Japanese garden, we had a guide who walked us through the Tea Garden as well as the Zen Garden. Of course, the teacher had requested the tour guide to speak to us in Japanese. The guide did explain some parts using English, because obviously, not many of us understood half of what she said. For the parts that I did understand, which weren't many, there are many styles and many principles to follow when it comes to traditional Japanese gardening. Walking through the Tea Garden was amazing. All the elements made is so peaceful and relaxing. Plus, the symbolism behind all the different parts make it that much more interesting.

After the Japanese Garden, we still had some time left, so we walked over to the Chinese Garden. It was pretty and all, but I personally found the Japanese Garden to be more intriguing. Maybe because we had a guided tour, which really helped me understand the meaning behind the gardens' landscaping.